The Greenbank Folk Music Society
2017-2018 Concert Listing

The Greenbank Folk Music Society has won great acclaim over its 25 years of shows for showcasing fabulous up and coming young Canadian talent. Probably, the most successful singer/songwriter to perform at Greenbank early in their career was Ron Sexsmith. We are thrilled that Ron will return to help open our 25th season.

From Ron's web site: “Ron Sexsmith’s status as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation has never been in doubt, even from the moment he released his self-titled major-label debut album in 1995. His career arc since then has in some ways been a study in how that pure ability has been handled in the studio. On his 12 albums, Sexsmith has worked with some of music’s most celebrated producers—Daniel Lanois, Mitchell Froom, Tchad Blake, Ray Kennedy, Martin Terefe, Bob Rock and Jim Scott. With all of that experience, it would stand to reason that Sexsmith has learned a thing or two over the years about how to make a record.

That thought indeed struck him as the Toronto-based Sexsmith prepared to make his thirteenth solo album, The Last Rider, where for the first time he, in tandem with his longtime collaborator Don Kerr, has taken matters into his own hands as a producer. For fans, that fact alone should heighten the listening experience in terms of getting to hear Sexsmith’s complete musical vision for the first time. However, it’s not much of a surprise that, as an artist whose music never fails to draw out raw emotions, Sexsmith the producer has made The Last Rider perhaps the most intimate and welcoming album in his catalogue.”

We are delighted that the lovely and talented Annie Sumi also will return to open for Ron. “Annie Sumi wins you over before she finishes her first song,” says Mogens Galberg of the Greenbank Folk Music Society. “Her natural and beautiful voice, smart lyrical ballads and excellent guitar skills make you realize she was born to do this.”

It’s a special opportunity when an artist has an entire album written for them. The words, melodies, and jazz-informed chamber pop arrangements of Sexsmith Swinghammer Songs were all specifically created for the distinctive voice of Lori.

After taking a few years off music to raise the child she & Kurt Swinghammer were blessed with, close friend Ron Sexsmith suggested to Kurt that they co-write material to entice Lori back into the studio. In the tradition of the Bacharach and David model, the roll of writing lyrics and music was clearly divided. Sexsmith brought his brilliant ability to personalize universal themes while using common vernacular and applied it to the unpredictable harmonic and rhythmic structures of Swinghammer’s artful tunes. The result is a strikingly original, cohesive body of work that has nothing in common with current trends.

Sexsmith Swinghammer Songs is Lori Cullen’s seventh album. A rewarding collaboration between close friends has resulted in a beautifully presented collection of new material. For Lori’s fans, it will be a welcome addition to their collection, and for others it will be that exciting moment of discovering a brilliant new voice.

"His performances are exciting and totally entertaining. His uncliched banjo playing sparkles beautifully and dynamically. This coupled with his thumping foot creates a complete sound. People are drawn into singing along. His singing is his own. Clear and unadorned it is totally emotive and suits the sincerity of his tunes. In the breaks between songs come wild and charming stories of meeting heroes and easygoing but gripping musings on things ridiculous and sublime that may have a wink of contemporary vaudeville. Equally at home on festival main stages, theatres and living rooms, he can hold court in the occasional indie rock bar. Luedecke has been a featured performer at all the major folk festivals in Canada and Australia and an increasing number of American festivals, like Strawberry in California."

"Of ... evocative vignettes and melodies that could well be set to roaring rock anthems, but sound so much more powerful in their hushed intimacy and quietly insistent rhythmic pulse.
Merritt’s made his living as a producer in the last 25 years, so naturally it all sounds exquisite, the tiniest gestures resonating throughout his sonic temple."
- Macleans Magazine - Best of 015

"Samantha Martin is an artist of extraordinary power, gravitas and deep-seated emotion. On first listen, one is immediately struck by the awesome presence and sheer magnitude of her other worldly voice. Cigarette-ravaged and whiskey-soaked in the extreme, Martin’s pipes are capable of conveying an infinite range of emotions. Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar released the debut album, “Send the Nightingale” to glowing reviews by fans and critics alike. They were nominated for four Maple Blues Awards in 2016." Markham Jazz Festival, 2016

Ben has seven cds available through Cdbaby.com and on his website at www.bensures.com. Ben Sures has performed at many festivals in Alberta and Canada, opened for everyone from The Preservation Hall Band to Ray Davies of the Kinks, he has performed at numerous Bluebird North Showcases, NXNE,CMW, WCMA and The International Folk Alliance showcases and has toured as a support act for The Arrogant Worms. Ben has been a contributor to CBC’s The Irrelevant Show, Madly Off in All Directions and The Round up with Bill Richardson.http://www.homeroutes.ca/artists/ben-sures/

Lynn Miles
Five out of Five Stars in “Country Music People Magazine”
“The wonderful new album has the singer in top form, as she creates 11 incredible soundscapes...has she ever sounded better...with her new album she has aimed for the sky, and scored a direct hit." - Paul Riley

Keith Glass is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (guitar, mandolin, bass), and producer, and a founding member, guitarist, and songwriter with Prairie Oyster, a group which has received critical acclaim, including multiple Juno and CCMA awards. Prairie Oyster is often cited as the country’s foremost roots/country band. They toured extensively over a career that spanned almost four decades and were inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

In recent years, he has been busy producing albums for numerous artists and playing and singing on many others. His new album, Bad Dog, named in honour of the family dog, Dusty) shows that Glass is in his songwriting prime, offering listeners beautiful ballads and rich storytelling.

"Zachary Lucky is unapologetically old-school country, armed with a husky, baritone voice - He carries himself like a younger Richard Buckner or a heartier Doug Paisley and receives comparisons to songwriters such as Gordan Lightfoot and Kris Kristofferson. He sings of Canadian places and people as knowingly as he might Townes Van Zandt or the Rio Grande. It's a relatable show on many levels, and conjures universal feelings that have passed through our collective timelines. Lucky is the forlorn embodiment of the Information Age, compelling and reassuring on one hand and coolly unsettling and of no place on the other." - Exclaim!

From Ryan's web site: "Mixing classic country music with modern satire, Ryan Cook has forged a sound between contemporary folk and dyed-in-the wool country. With nuances of pop and western swing, Ryan's songbook reminiscences of the early hillbilly and folk pioneers but stays very much in the current landscape. On stage Ryan has toured as a solo performer opening for Country purists like Dwight Yoakam, Rosanne Cash, & Travis Tritt. His acoustic live show combines thumb-picking guitar styles, original folk & country ballads and vintage music from the 1940’s and 1950’s."

From her web site: "From the Great Northern Plains, Little Miss Higgins struts and serenades her way onto any stage playing music brewed up in early country blues, jazz and folk. Her music has won three Western Canadian Music Awards and received JUNO and Maple Blues Awards nominations.

Little Miss Higgins (aka Jolene Higgins) was born in Brooks, Alberta, and raised in Independence, Kansas. Music entered her life early. “When I was about four my dad brought home an old mini-grand piano and told me it was mine. I carved my name in the side of it and then I had to start taking piano lessons.”

Higgins now uses guitar and voice as her main instruments as well as her theatre background to bring a refreshing sound and story to the stage. Higgins settled in Saskatchewan from 2002-2013 and that’s when music took the driver’s seat. Over that time she built her career touring across Canada performing in clubs, theatres and festivals."

“Triumphant, passionate and inspiring are not adjectives that usually describe showcase gigs but Peterborough’s finest folkestra fed a frenzied crowd with Sadie-ish country, barrel-house blues, New Orleans hot jazz and otherworldly duets between the musical saw and theremin. Must be seen to be believed!”
– Review of The Silver Hearts’ NxNE showcase, Exclaim!

“Their tunes might recall something by a wine-whipped country string band… one moment and then a bluesy-woozy outtake from Tom Waits’ Bone Machine the next, and they have no qualms about wailing a teary ballad at the drop of a Stetson.
“The Silver Hearts don’t need to wear tin sheriff’s deputy badges to set themselves apart. When you travel in a 14-strong posse dressed in matching black suits, you tend to stand out in a crowd.”
– Tim Perlich, Now Magazine